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Public sector asset disposals in Europe

Sales of public sector property assets across Europe rose sharply in 2011, to a total of €2.3bn. Because of the continuing need to improve the state of public finances in many countries, there is a well-established appetite to raise capital from the sale or development of public property assets. Activity of this type has so far been highly concentrated in a small number of countries, and shifts in the pattern of investment demand across Europe suggest that executing large-scale disposal programmes will be challenging in some markets. More generally, there is clear need for sellers to assess the likely investment appeal of the assets in question, and to consider a range of approaches including phased disposal or partnership arrangements.